Benefits of a Supervised Exercise Program After Lower Limb Bypass Surgery

• Published in: Vascular and endovascular surgery 2007-02, Vol.41 (1), p.27-32
• Main Authors: Badger, Stephen A., Soong, Chee V., O’Donnell, Mark E., Boreham, Colm A.G., McGuigan, Kathy E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Anesthesia; Anesthesia depending on type of surgery; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Ankle - blood supply; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Blood Pressure; Brachial Artery - physiopathology; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cohort Studies; Diseases of the peripheral vessels. Diseases of the vena cava. Miscellaneous; Exercise Therapy; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Intermittent Claudication - etiology; Intermittent Claudication - physiopathology; Intermittent Claudication - surgery; Intermittent Claudication - therapy; Ischemia - etiology; Ischemia - physiopathology; Ischemia - surgery; Ischemia - therapy; Lower Extremity - blood supply; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Patient Compliance; Peripheral Vascular Diseases - complications; Quality of Life; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surveys and Questionnaires; Thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. Cardiopulmonary bypass; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Vascular surgery: aorta, extremities, vena cava. Surgery of the lymphatic vessels; Vascular Surgical Procedures; Walking
• ISSN: 1538-5744; 1938-9116
• DOI: 10.1177/1538574406296209

This study evaluated the efficacy of an exercise program after arterial bypass surgery. Patients undergoing bypass surgery were randomized to a control group (group I), with standard preoperative and postoperative care, or the intervention group (group II) with a supervised exercise program of twice-weekly treadmill assessments from 4 to 10 weeks postoperatively. Ankle-brachial pressure indices and hemodynamic measurements were recorded before and after exercise. The mean increase of maximum walking distance was 3.8% in group I and 175.4% in group II (P = .001). There was a significant difference between group I and II in the mean ankle-brachial pressure indices increase at the second assessment (0.08 versus 0.23; P = .02). A supervised exercise program leads to better improvement after lower limb bypass surgery for ischemia, but the feasibility of a formal exercise program would be undermined by the reluctance of patients to participate, both in the short-term and long-term.